If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Dis-A-Pyr

I was walking Casey on the farm this morning and came to this pasture which is about 2 acres and completely empty. I've let him run in there several times, and there's nothing cuter than watching him run at top speed with a big smile on his face. This morning, though, the gate was open and I couldn't close it completely but thought, "I can block him if he tries to run out." BIG MISTAKE!!! He ran about ten feet into the pasture, then turned around and ran at top speed right by me. The farm is 67 acres but has no fences around the back side, so I started running at top speed (I'm NOT a runner and am too old to be doing this) and saw him running into the neighborhood behind us. We are very close to a highway and I was so worried; Casey knows NOTHING about cars except riding in the back seat of mine. So I then ran back to my place and had an asthma attack from the running and my anxiety. Got over that and got into my car, texted the farm hands, then drove slowly through the neighborhood - no Casey. They then texted me and said Casey was back on the property.

As I was driving back I saw them running after my big white dog, then when I got to the property Casey and the farm hands were sitting in the 4-wheeler. They said he was running from them but later returned to the barn where his parents are, then sat down and let them put a leash on him. Oh My God! I wanted to hug him, give him a steak, and yell at him all at the same time. I hugged him, brought him back to the house and gave him a MilkBone with peanut butter on it (his favorite). I may have just reinforced the behavior, but I was so relieved to have him back in one piece that I did it anyway. Right now he's peacefully sleeping in his crate after his big adventure, and I'm starting to breathe normally again. And it's just now 9:30!! But I realize that I am very blessed - it could have been FAR worse!! And I'm buying the farm hands a BIG BBQ lunch today, then get to go to work for a couple of hours. Am VERY grateful right now.

Rudy did a similar thing one evening...I also was panicked about cars on road in front of our place...and of course the fields below us have fences that the cows can't get through, but Rudy could!

After, me driving in the car & calling his name, hubby riding in the 4-wheeler, a friend walking the road.....a neighbor called & said...Rudy was by our fence wanting to come in, but we had locked the gate behind us!! So our friend stayed there with Rudy until one of us got back.....agree....one doesn't know whether to hug the stuffing out of them or get angry....I was like you....I loved him & told him he was a good boy for coming home!!

Ikw is generally very good on trail walks off-leash but I am learning the situations where he totally ignores me-playing with groups of dogs and anything involving mud!! Yesterday we went out on one of our favorite trails, he was so good, we were on a game trail and I even asked him to go down the hill to the larger trail and he promptly walked down to the main trail. As we finished our walk and headed back to the car, he spotted a muddy stream and took off to play in it. When I got there and was obviously going to put a leash on him, he took off again. I searched for him for almost a 1/2 hr and found him in a pile of sand and dirt which Caltrans had put off the road in preparation for snow. Ike was having a blast, leveling out the pile and digging great holes. He would not let me near him or come to me for a few minutes and then came over at sat at my feet. Didn't know whether to hug him(except he was a dirty mess) or yell at him.

Ikw is generally very good on trail walks off-leash but I am learning the situations where he totally ignores me-playing with groups of dogs and anything involving mud!! Yesterday we went out on one of our favorite trails, he was so good, we were on a game trail and I even asked him to go down the hill to the larger trail and he promptly walked down to the main trail. As we finished our walk and headed back to the car, he spotted a muddy stream and took off to play in it. When I got there and was obviously going to put a leash on him, he took off again. I searched for him for almost a 1/2 hr and found him in a pile of sand and dirt which Caltrans had put off the road in preparation for snow. Ike was having a blast, leveling out the pile and digging great holes. He would not let me near him or come to me for a few minutes and then came over at sat at my feet. Didn't know whether to hug him(except he was a dirty mess) or yell at him.

Honestly, you need to leash him before he runs off and gets himself hurt. Pyrs wander, and as he gets older will wander further and further. I only say that out of concern, not being bossy or anything, but tragic things could happen and I would hate for him to wander and get seriously hurt, or worse.

a601mom....my first 3 Pyr's were very good off leash, and we lived in a rural area of Alaska.

However, our first girl developed severe dog aggression, especially if I was with her, a leash became a must for her to protect her from all the other "friendly" dogs that people walked off leash.

Then our boy Nick was super! Mr. Social was his nickname....however one day he took off after hearing coyotes howl...finally came home hours later filthy, with devils club all over him, tired....and I was frantic the whole time! His time off leash was then cut, I learned my lesson

Our Holly was Miss Anxiety...she barely liked going away from the house....she was great off leash, because she was too afraid to go too far from me....yup there's another story comin up....on a hike with several friends she was walking wonderfully...then she took a different turn than we did...she was lost on the side of a mountain!! Yes, I did find Holly...she was waiting for me by the car...havinf crossed a very busy road....another lesson learned...Holly needed a leash...

so yes, I think they can do well off leash, in a controlled area, where no harm can come to them...and their human companions can relax & know they will be safe...

oh...and our current boy Rudy...he is never off his leash when I walk him..I've learned my lesson!

I only let Missy off leash if I am right by her side. I would never give her the chance to run off on me. Mind you Missy is half Pyr and half Bernese Mountain Dog so she isn't a flight risk at all, but I still would never risk it cause it's in her blood to be bad off leash. I think a leash is going to be necessary for you and Ike in the future.

Sebastian will be five next month, and is now the most well-behaved and cooperative version of himself that he has ever been (for the most part). Still, I can't open my front door unless he is leashed. The temptation of epic adventures in the neighborhood is too much for him to resist.

I learned this lesson the hard way last Spring, when I opened the door for the pizza guy. I thought I could successfully block his escape with my body. He pushed me right out of the way, and was through the front gate (left open by the pizza guy) before I could say a very very bad word. Deputy Chester naturally didn't want to miss any of the fun, so he went running right after his big brother. I don't know exactly how long they were out. I want to say maybe 30 or 40 minutes, but it felt like forever. I was really afraid I would never see them again.

After I searched by foot, and then by car, I decided to try searching on foot again, this time loaded with treats. I called Chester and shook the treat bag, and Chester appeared in front of the neighbor's house. I got him leashed, and he lead me straight to Sebastian, who then ran home before I could say any more bad words. As relieved as I was to find him, it took me several hours to calm down to the point that I could look at him.

Accidents happen, but Nick's Spirit brings up a very good point about the "friendly dogs" whose owners let them off leash in public because "it's okay, s/he's friendly!" If there is a chance that your dog might encounter people or pets that s/he doesn't know, then your dog should be leashed. It took only one up-close encounter with a friendly off-leash dog to terrify Chester to the point that he has never been the same. Not only did he develop leash aggression issues that he hadn't had before, but he also started attacking friends he had once played with daily for months. He went from craving playtime with his friends, to being overwhelmed by it - all stemming from an incident in which no one was physically hurt.

To add insult to injury, we started encountering more and more off-leash dogs, as people saw well-behaved dogs walking off-leash, and decided that if that dog could be off-leash without any problems, then their dog could be, too - only their dogs had neither the temperament nor the training of the well-behaved off-leash dog they had originally seen. We ended up moving shortly thereafter, as it was only a matter of time before somebody got hurt.

Casey has only beem off-leash one time since he took off last time, and that was in the same pasture he was in the day of his big adventure, but this time I waited to take the leash off until the gate waa closed and locked behind him. As everyone else has said, I learned my lesson that day, and it's one I never want to repeat.

It's too bad Pyr's are such a flight risk cuz they love to run and explore...fearless and curious...the only time mine (4yo) is allowed 'off leash' is in Tofino which is a very long beach, once we have left the part where all the people are... dragging a 50 ft lead! It slows him down a bit dragging in the sand and water, but it means I can get ahold of him from far away, unless of course he is running top speed right past me! Everytime he gets out (which is not too often) I worry most about cars, as he treats them either like they are invisible, or like they are coming to see him, so he turns to go meet them! Whenever he comes home after an escape I give lots of treats...got to make coming home, or coming back to get on the leash a positive thing.